Without fun we have nothing. Without fun there is no youth, no chocolate, and definitely no sex. The presence of fun makes anything possible. If we allow a positive outlook to rise above our more difficult emotions—from our identity and outward personality to every social interaction we participate in—we would live in a much better place. Fun is why I loved the biggest brightest toys as a child, the loudest rock bands as a teen, and the fastest Italian bicycles in my 20’s. And as an artist, fun is why I love the stark contrast of Marilyn Monroe’s luminous hair against the background of an Andy Warhol print and the unbridled freedom of paint strokes lashing from George Dyers hair and dissipating into the background of a Francis Bacon painting.

Though fun is a wonderfully positive and attractive emotion, beneath any sugary coating there is always more. The emotions just beneath the skin are what makes life exciting, complex, and worth living. This is where one’s human identity and personality is built and resides. I begin a work with the idea of a specific human emotion presented as an isolated topic. A complex emotion which will not only lie beneath my work’s bright exterior, but will also join with it and hold it up as a more honest, multifaceted, and deeply rooted characteristic. Emotions such as: hope, liberation, fear, loneliness, love, loss, etc. These are all basic and recognizable building blocks of our personal and societal foundations. By exploring these emotions that are the basis of our character in a conscious yet creative manner we can learn more about ourselves and how we can transform our human personalities and interactions in a positive way.

The emotions that I explore in my work are depicted through the use of common animals, domestic objects, and symbols which can be read and interpreted like blueprints, maps, or graphs. These graphic representations fascinate me in their ability to call attention to a specific function of an object, simplify a complex plan, and display the progression of time in a static environment—all while allowing the viewer to see these separate details through the entire conceptualized plan and representing this information in a way that is detached from human sentiment. Through these icons and symbols I can strip away the preconceived ideas attached to a human character, an identifiable location, or written text, allowing me to concentrate on the context of the subject matter, its representation, and how the viewer will interpret this situation through his or her own emotions and experiences. These subjects create a framework for this second emotion that is untainted by preconceived human characteristic while simultaneously representing the playful overtones embodied in my work, presenting to the viewer a representation of the struggles and emotional dichotomies inside us all.

Fortunately, it is never enough to just have fun—in art and in life. Art and life hold so much in common that when art is used truthfully it can mirror life in a way that it becomes unclear if one can truly control or precede the other. As art has changed my view of life, I look to alter the perspective of life through my art. By looking at these emotions that compose our personalities in new and inspiring ways I believe that we can begin to better understand not only what makes life fun, but what holds the possibilities of providing life with truly sustainable happiness as well.